


Jolts, Breadcrumbs and Thunderbolts

by helsinkibaby



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Community: cottoncandy_bingo, F/M, Het, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 08:30:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,093
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2766449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Frank is enamoured of the local coffee shop, and its barista.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jolts, Breadcrumbs and Thunderbolts

One of the first things Frank does when he moves to Sleepy Hollow is find a place that serves a decent cup of coffee. He doesn't expect to have much luck - after all, the coffee maker they'd had for years, the one Cynthia took in the divorce, along with the house and his daughter, was damn perfect and no longer in production, spoiling him for all further makes of coffee. 

Or so he thought because it turns out the coffee shop on Main Street is actually better. 

He'd think there was witchcraft at work, but the recent rumours of Headless Horsemen sightings means that joke goes straight into the unfunny and therefore will never be said category. Instead, he just thanks his lucky stars that whatever he encounters during his shifts, he won't have to do it without a jolt of caffeine. 

It only takes a couple of mornings before the barista starts to recognise him, first filling his order before he's even had a chance to open his mouth, then a few days later having it ready for him when he walks in. When he expresses surprise, she quirks one eyebrow, glances up at the clock. "A creature of habit," she declares with a smile and he finds himself smiling back as he notices for the first time what a nice smile she has.

The next morning, his order is once again waiting for him when he gets there. "What would you do if I ordered something else?" he asks and she shrugs. 

"Fix whatever you ordered and give you that one on the house?" she suggests and he can't help himself. 

He laughs. 

The action surprises him, because it seems like a long time since he laughed like that, before the divorce, before Macey's accident. What surprises him even more is that he notices her laugh in reply, finds himself thinking that he could get used to hearing that noise. 

Partly by accident, partly by design, he finds himself coming in a few minutes earlier, all the better to talk to her. She knows who he is, of course - the whole damn town knows who he is. All he knows is that her name is Jenny, that she has a relaxed smile and manner about her, that she is the only person aside from Macey who can make him laugh. Bit by bit though, he puts his detective skills to work, enjoys finding out whatever bits of information she drops like breadcrumbs. 

He learns she's completing a PhD in archaeology, learns that when he finds her one day not behind the counter but sitting at one of the tables, a pile of books threatening to topple over beside her, a murderous glare on her face as she stares at her laptop. "Getting ready to commit a felony?" he asks and she jumps up, heads behind the counter. 

"Justifiable homicide maybe," she replies, rolling her eyes. "My computer is about to die but it can't until I complete this chapter."

"Chapter?" he asks and that's when she tells him about her studies, about her investigations into the local legends, trying to separate fact from fiction. She talks for longer than he's ever heard her talk, eyes bright, face animated and it's only when the bell above the door dings that she stops. 

"Sorry," she apologises, cheeks darkening but he won't hear of it. 

"It sounds interesting" he says and he's not lying; there are more and more strange stories being told around town every day and he's only au fait with one or two of them. "Maybe you can tell me about those stories some day when there's no queue."

Her smile is wide. "I'd like that."

It's when an unknown disease has a young boy in the hospital and is spreading like wildfire that he learns her surname, another surprise. She arrives at the station in the middle of a whirlwind of activity with coffee and various forms of pastry, a boon to the wearied souls of his hardworking staff. "To what do we owe this?" he asks her, but he's not going to turn it down and she gives him a grin and a shrug. 

"Only the best for Sleepy Hollow's finest," she says, glancing over at the precinct coffee machine and giving it a glare not unlike the one she once gave her dying laptop. "I'm given to understanding that the coffee here leaves much to be desired."

It's an understatement but he's more concerned with another clue being dropped in his lap. "You've got an inside source on that?" he wonders, surprised by the spike of jealousy he quickly quashes. 

If she hears anything in his words, she doesn't show it. "My sister," she says and his surprise must show on his face because she adds, "Abbie Mills." He feels his eyes widen as he swings across to look at Abbie's desk, empty at the moment since she and her consultant shadow are off who knows where doing who knows what. When he looks back to her, she's looking highly amused.

"I thought you knew."

"I did not." He takes a sip of badly needed coffee. "Damn, that's good."

She hands him a box. "Try a Danish... From what Abbie tells me, it's going to be a long one."

She's not wrong and it's a couple of days before he gets back to his normal patterns. When he walks into the coffee shop, she greets him with a smile that he hadn't realised he'd missed and a cheery, "Welcome back, Captain... I was starting to get worried about you."

He grins, liking the sound of that. "Your sister didn't fill you in?" 

Jenny shrugs, not meeting his gaze. "Bits and pieces," she says. "She doesn't talk shop much."

Frank lifts one eyebrow. "Police work's not the family business then?" he asks and receives a very inelegant snort in response. 

"Hardly. Nothing against your line of work..." She hands him over his cup, waves off payment. "On the house," she says, before continuing her earlier thought. "But it's not for me." 

"I suppose one cop's enough for a family..." he says and she gives him a bright grin that somehow doesn't reach her eyes.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful for everything they've done for my family... But I like to go further back in the past than that, you know?"

It's like she thinks he knows something that he doesn't, but he nods. When he goes back to the precinct however, he sits down at his computer and searches the records for Jennifer Mills. 

He finds nothing on her, bar a speeding ticket or two - apparently, she's got quite the lead foot. 

Widening the search parameters though, he hits the jackpot, reads about a mother who was locked up in Tarrytown Psych, a sister - his deputy moreover - who, while walking in the woods on her way home from school one day, went missing before being found days later. There's no record of where she was or who had her, but there is a statement from her sister where Jenny says they were supposed to walk home together but she went to the library instead. 

He supposes that could be one reason why Mills went into police work, why her sister is grateful to the Sleepy Hollow PD, but something about the look on Jenny's face told him it was more than that. 

He closes the file and doesn't mention what he's read to either sister. After all, there is curiosity and investigations and then there is just being nosy.

His discovery is not something that informs his dealings with either of them and it's certainly at the back of his mind when Macey comes to visit him for the weekend. He takes her to the coffee shop for brunch and Jenny actually looks surprised when he walks in. "The usual?" she asks, but with a tone in her voice and a look on her face that tells him she's not expecting an affirmative answer. 

"Not today," he says, laying his hand on Macey's shoulder. "We thought we'd get some brunch before I show Macey the sights." 

"Remind me before you go, I'll give you some bread for the duck pond," Jenny promises, handing him two menus. "What can I get you to drink?"

At that, he orders his usual and Jenny gives him a knowing smirk. Macey orders hot chocolate and as she wheels herself to a table, Frank finds himself smiling back over his shoulder at Jenny. 

None of which escapes Macey, nor does their easy banter as they place an order (French toast for Macey, waffles for him) and when Jenny sets the plates down in front of them. "Are you dating her?" Macey asks, sounding far too like her  mother for comfort. When he hesitates in his answer, she hurriedly adds, "I mean, it's ok if you are, I'm not a kid or anything, I know how divorce works..."

"Hey, hey, hey..." Frank shakes his head. "I'm not dating Jenny. We're friendly, that's all." He's surprised to discover how much this conversation matters to him, especially since Macey is giving him another Cynthiaesque look that tells him she's not buying whatever he's selling. 

"She's pretty," she points out and Frank knows better than to agree, no matter how much he might. "And you smile when you talk to her."

"I smile when I talk to lots of people," he counters, but she shakes her head.

"Not like that."

She lets it go at that and he's content to let her. They finish their meal as she tells him all about school and her science accomplishments and he wishes he could see more of her. When they go to leave, Jenny presents them with a bag of bread for the ducks and another cup of hot chocolate for Macey. Macey protests halfheartedly and Jenny waves a hand dismissively. 

"Your dad and his officers practically keep this place in business," she tells Macey. "A hot chocolate on the house is the least I can do."

Macey thanks her and gives her a smile, and doesn't say anything else until they're on the sidewalk, heading to Frank's car. "I like her," is all she says and that's enough to give Frank licence to admit to himself that he does too. 

Macey goes home the next day and on Monday when he's in the coffee shop, Jenny once again has his order waiting for him. "Macey's a great kid," she tells him after their usual exchange of pleasantries. Then, softer, "What happened to her?"

"Drunk driver," he replies, keeping it as brief as possible. Even after all these months, he still doesn't like to talk about it. "Mounted the pavement as she and her mom were walking home." He hadn't been there, had been working and the knowledge haunts him to this day. 

Sympathy is writ large on Jenny's face. "I'm sorry," she says and he nods, having never got used to what to say. 

"She's a strong girl," he hears himself saying, and Jenny's smile is gentle.

"Just like her dad."

That's when his cell phone rings and when he sees the precinct number, he knows he has to go. 

Except all day, when he should be thinking of other things, he finds himself thinking of her. Which, he knows, is ridiculous. He's a full grown man with an important job, not some high school teenager with a crush on the cute girl behind the bar. 

And because he's a full grown man, he knows what he has to do.

She's closing up that night when he arrives at the coffeehouse. She jumps when he knocks on the door, hurries over and opens it. "You're either very early, or the precinct coffee is getting worse," she quips, smiling up at him and the realisation that she's flirting with him hits him like a thunderbolt, gives him hope. 

"I think I'm right on time," he says.

A frown line appears in the middle of her forehead. "For what?"

Now it's his turn to smile. "For asking you to dinner."

If he ever thought she'd smiled at him before, he was wrong. The full wattage grin she gives him is the real deal and he finds himself grinning right back. "Why, Captain," she says, one hand over her chest, batting her eyelashes like some sort of Victorian damsel in distress, "I thought you'd never ask."

He doesn't ask if he can kiss her then, just does it.

She doesn't refuse.  


End file.
